Bar Review: Moeder Lambic Fontainas Brussels, Belgium

Living in Germany it is rare that I get to a bar with more than five taps so when I read online that Moeder Lambic Fontainas has 46 I knew I was going to be in for some tough decisions. That day we were in Belgium it was really hot outside and unfortunately when we arrived there was no outside seating unoccupied. We sat down at one of the many tables inside along the wall and waited a couple of minutes to receive the menu (make sure to ask for the menu with the guest beers on them too). I began pouring over the many offerings.

I didn't ask for the bottle menu but have read reviews that say it is on the expensive side.

We placed our order and waited for our beer. There was a beer/brewery tour that was sitting in the raised area at the end of the bar which I initially mistook for a stag party because they were so loud.

The interior was hip and modern with techno music pumping through the air a bit loud for the middle of the afternoon. Overall I found the atmosphere lacking. I could see it working late at night but I was looking more for conversation and relaxation instead of a sweaty dance time with the sausage party in the corner. Luckily our beer arrived to distract me!

For the first round I had the Brewdog Punk IPA (10/10), my friend had the Rye IPA (5/10), and my wife got the Lambic Cantillon (?/10). The second round brought my wife the Val-Dieu Grand Cru (9/10), my friend the Kriek Cantillon (3/10), and me the Framboise Cantillon (10/10). My Brewdog beer was perfectly hoppy and exactly what I needed to try and beat the heat. I didn't care for my friend's Rye IPA and found it a little bland while my wife's Lambic Cantillon just tasted weird with all kinds of sour and off notes that the style is famous for. I really enjoyed my Framboise Cantillon. This beer was like a raspberry adventure where it changed flavors with each sip taking me to places of dessert, sour, and everywhere in between. I thought the Kriek Cantillon fell short and my main thoughts were sour, gross, and rotten fruit. Luckily the Val-Dieu Grand Cru was excellent with a complex taste featuring caramel and licorice. It was surprisingly smooth despite the 10.5% alcohol.

Both of these are the Framboise.

I had very mixed feelings about this bar. The tap list is absolutely amazing with enough unique selection to keep you coming back. I didn't care for the loud techno music and the amount of noise coming from the tables in the back. The heat was over bearing but it is rare to find air conditioning in Europe so I wasn't expecting it to be cool inside. It was unfortunate that we couldn't sit outside. I would recommend going because the aspects which I found detracted from my experience might not occur while you are there. If I'm in Brussels I will go back.

Overall: 8/10

outside seating

That is a can of Jupiler beer which is pretty hilarious (It is the cheap nasty beer of Belgium).